Birds by Neetu
October 26, 2024 by Neetu Malik in category Poet's Day by Neetu Malik tagged as birds, Darwin, Neetu, shrieking
Birds
crow flies overhead
I hear pandemonium
shrieking birds gone berserk
my peace disturbed
through my window
I peek
to see a world gone awry
a baby bird in its beak
the black crow on sleek wings
no match for smaller things
always comes back
to Darwin
© Neetu Malik
Some of Neetu’s Books
LA NOCHE BEFORE THREE KINGS DAY by SHEILA COLÓN-BAGLEY—A REVIEW BY VERONICA JORGE
October 22, 2024 by Veronica Jorge in category Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as Book Reviewed, La Noche Before Three Kings Day, SHEILA COLÓN-BAGLEY, Veronica Jorge
LA NOCHE BEFORE THREE KINGS DAY
SHEILA COLÓN-BAGLEY
Harper Collins
2023
ISBN 978-0-06-323432-1
This year, Hispanic Heritage month was celebrated from September 15th through October 15th.
So, even though we are not in the December holiday season yet, I thought it would be fitting to post this particular book review now in October. Don’t most stores already have their holiday decorations on display? I also figured that if Hallmark can feature Christmas movies in July, I’m a lot closer to the season in October.
Besides, it’s never too early to get a jump start on your Christmas shopping because you’ll want this book.
For those of you not familiar with Three Kings Day, known in Spanish as, el Día de los Reyes Magos, it is celebrated throughout Latin America, Spain, and some other countries in Europe on January 6th in commemoration of the three wise men from the east, known as Balthazar, Melchior, and Gaspar, who brought gifts to honor the birth of the baby Jesus.
Instead of waiting for Santa Claus, children wait for gifts from the Three Kings. No milk and cookies for them. My mother, who grew up in the Dominican Republic, said they would always leave water and some grass or hay for the camels. The place to look for your gifts was not under a tree, but underneath your bed.
Colon-Bagley’s story, in Spanish and English, is told with the rhyming cadence of, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. As two of her lines read:
“We wrapped our shoeboxes with glee and delight, knowing the Three Kings would be here tonight.”
And, “While Papá washed the dishes and walked our perrito, Mamá tucked us in with a good night besito.”
Vibrant colorful illustrations by Alejandro Mesa depict the excitement in the home as the family prepares for the wondrous arrival.
Decorating the house. Wrapping gifts for each other. A buffet table feast with scrumptious food. Singing and dancing. And excited children begging to stay up late. Well, you get the picture.
And I hope you’ll get the book. It is a delightful holiday story that you just might find yourself adding to your Christmas books collection and pulling if off the shelf to read year after year after year.
Oh, and don’t forget to stock up on some hay!
Veronica Jorge
See you next time on November 22nd!
Other Books Reviewed by Veronica
High School Reunions
October 15, 2024 by Renae Wrich in category Writing tagged as Childrens Lit, dreams, high school, High school reunion, Mac and CheeseThis year signifies that it’s been 20 years since I graduated from high school. I can’t believe it’s been two decades since I sat in English class dreaming of someday becoming a writer. There are so many things I’d tell my 17 year old self, but the most important thing would be that the best is absolutely yet to come.
So of course when a 20 year milestone is upon us, we are faced with the decision to either attend the reunion, or to sit at home and wonder what it would have been like to attend the reunion. I weighed the decision carefully, but ultimately I decided to put my brave girl pants on and drag my husband with me to the townie bar in my hometown to face my high school classmates.
I’m glad I went for a number of reasons, the biggest one being that it was honestly really nice to talk with people I hadn’t seen in a very long time and to make some new connections. But imagine my surprise when I walked in and discovered that reunion organizers showcased the various businesses and crafts of our class, including my book! I was so touched to see that they had purchased a copy of Mac and Cheese, Please, Please, Please to display at the event.
A big thank you to the 2004 Student Council for giving M&CPPP some love at the reunion. It seriously meant so much to me. Go Cougars!
In other news, Mac and Cheese in Outer Space is in the final stages before its release. IT’S GETTING REAL PEOPLE! I have my ISBN number, the book is currently with a layout designer, and I have my beta readers all lined up as we prepare for launch. I seriously can’t wait to share this story with the world.
Jina Bacarr October Featured Author
October 14, 2024 by Jina Bacarr in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Featured Author, Featured Author of the Month tagged as Boldwood Books, Featured Author of the Month, historical romance, Jina Bacarr, New relaase, Sisters of the Resistance
About Jina Bacarr
I discovered early on that I inherited the gift of the gab from my large Irish family when I penned a story about a princess who ran away to Paris with her pet turtle Lulu. I was twelve.
I grew up listening to their wild, outlandish tales and it was those early years of storytelling that led to my love of history and traveling.
I enjoy writing to classical music with a hot cup of java by my side. I adore dark chocolate truffles, vintage anything, the smell of bread baking and rainy days in museums. I’ve always loved walking through history—from Pompeii to Verdun to Old Paris. The voices of the past speak to me through carriages with cracked leather seats, stiff ivory-colored crinolines, and worn satin slippers. I’ve always wondered what it was like to walk in those slippers when they were new.
You can follow Jina on social media:
Facebook
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Pinterest
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Jina also has a column here on the 11th of every month: Jina’s Book Chat.
Jina’s newest novel, Sisters of the Resistance, is available now.
Paris, 1942: Two sisters in Paris had their lives torn apart. Now they must choose – save themselves, or fight the Nazis to the very end…
I’d given up everything to fight for the Resistance. But nothing prepared me for discovering my sister was a traitor. Kept by a Nazi SS officer, outwardly she barely resembles my beloved Justine anymore.
But I guessed her secret. About her beautiful, fragile little child. The baby she’ll do anything to protect. And I believe that deep down she still knows what is right.
As the Nazis threaten everything we ever held dear, I know I have one chance. I must convince her to betray the evil she seems to have chosen. I need her to find her true self once more.
Because I need her to join the fight…
Could you choose your country – and what is right – over the person you once loved more than anyone in the world?
Unmissable, heartbreaking, gripping WW2 fiction, perfect for fans of Soraya M. Lane, Ellie Midwood and Jean Grainger.
A Few of Jina’s Other Books
Season’s Readings: More Sweet, Funny, and Strange Holiday Tales from the Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC
October 13, 2024 by Bethlehem Writers Group in category From a Cabin in the Woods by Members of Bethlehem Writers Group tagged as Bethlehem Writers Group LLC, new release, Seasons Readings
In this new addition to the “Sweet, Funny, and Strange” series of short-story anthologies, the multi-award-winning Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC, returns to its roots. As denizens in and around Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, (also known as “Christmas City, USA”) we were happy to make our first anthology a collection of holiday tales. But one volume just wasn’t enough. Now, in the eighth anthology, we’re returning to the theme to bring you twenty-one new stories that span the holidays from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve.
Emwryn Murphy’s sweet tale tells about a chosen family’s “Friendsgiving,” crashed by a blood-relative who might, or might not, be happy with what he sees in “As Simple As That.” Jerome W. McFadden once again reveals his humorous side in his story about a would-be Santa who gets into trouble in “Flue Shot.” A. E. Decker shares an intricate Christmas fantasy about “The Goblin King’s Music Box.” And Paula Gail Benson gives new meaning to a traditional symbol for the New Year in “Star of the Party.” Beyond these holidays, Debra H. Goldstein writes about Pearl Harbor Day, Diane Sismour about Krampusnacht, and Peter J Barbour about Hanukkah. Other favorite BWG authors, including Jeff Baird, Ralph Hieb, D. T. Krippene, Dianna Sinovic, Christopher D. Ochs, Kidd Wadsworth, and Carol L. Wright, also share their holiday musings.
In addition, this volume includes award-winning stories from the 2023 and 2024 Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Awards. Sally Milliken, the first-place winner in 2023, presents “The First Thanksgiving.” From 2024, we have our top three winners with first-place winner Rhonda Zangwill’s “Oh! Christmas Tree,” second-place winner Bettie Nebergall’s “Just Ask Santa,” and third-place winner Mary Adler’s “Narragansett Nellie and the Transferware Platter.”
We hope you enjoy these holiday gifts and that all our readers have the very happiest of holiday seasons.
